Avg: 2.5 from 34
votes
Access Issue: Fire Closure
Details
Access Issue: Potentially unavailable to climbing February through July if raptors are breeding here.
Details
This route is the next route right of The Bearded Lady. This is the only sport route that leads all the way to the top of Barnum Rock.
Pitch 1 / 60ft (5.8):
Start off on vertical face climbing which quickly leads to a small roof. Pull the small roof which puts you into the delicate crux section. Continue on easier climbing to anchors on top of pitch 1.
Pitch 1 is fun to do just as a single pitch if you don't wanna do or don't have time to do the whole route. It has mussy anchors to lower off
Pitch 2 / 60 ft (5.6):
The second pitches crux is the first two bolts. Climbing up and right through the crux to then hit easier terrain. Follow the bolts that roll out right and up to the second anchor on a large ledge.
Pitch 3 / 75 ft (5.8):
The last pitch leaves from the large ledge and makes its way through some beautiful rolling slabs. The end of the slabs is guarded by a small slightly overhanging crack that makes the crux of this pitch. Make the exposed crux moves through the crack and pull on to the upper clean slab. Look out left for the final bolts and moves. Some may want a belay from final anchor up and over short distance to flat area and large block below 3rd anchor (or all the way to the saddle).
Descent: Walk off to the North. Hike down hill along the west side of the wall to get back to the main wall area.
Note: Rappel anchors off the back side have been chopped. Can either down climb to saddle (couple 3rd or 4th class moves, not too exposed) or belay first climber down from large block at flat area below the 3rd anchor. Nice lunch spot by large boulder.
This route is the next route right of The Bearded Lady.
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Tucson
Tucson
- Pitch 2 bolt path goes off to the right at about a 45 degree angle
- Hard to communicate from the pitch 2 belay ledge- just assume you won't be able to hear each other; and you cannot see the climbers below (nor can they see their belayer)
- Don't count on throwing the rope down to the climbers from the pitch 2 belay ledge: have everyone trail a rope up that is attached to the climber below on the pitch 1 belay ledge
- The pitch 3 crux (the crack) is where you will get rope drag if you don't use a long runner- but this is where you want it snug if you don't know the good holds are up on the left. If you want extra piece of mind, then you can reach up as high as you can in the crack and put a cam in- but with a long runner.
- There's still a little bit of unprotected climbing after pitch 3 (about 8 feet), then when you reach the top, slide down the slope carefully and walk off the left side (your back is to the Feed the Sweed route you just climbed up).
- This is a very nice multi-pitch climb: terrific views, muzzy anchors to make your belay anchor set-up simple, fairly easy 5.8 climbing (pitch 1 requires the most effort). Nov 21, 2014
Also, I think maybe its a good bit longer than in the description...we were almost at the ends of the rope (80m) on the rappel from the anchors to the 2nd belay station, and that's while rappelling straight down. From the 2nd belay station to the 1st, there was a little more rope left, but still I think the pitch is much longer than 60 feet. Fun easy multi pitch for my first 3 pitch lead!! Sep 18, 2016
20 ft below the 2nd belay ledge is another very large ledge where you can see and easily communicate with your belayer at the top of pitch 1. One option to get around the difficult communication problem at the 2nd belay ledge is to clove into your anchor leaving yourself ~20 ft of slack between your harness and your clove, and then lowering yourself down the slack using a grigri until you reach the ledge where you can communicate with your belayer. The terrain here is very very easy and can be traversed without the grigri if you don't have one with you. Nov 12, 2016
The view is fantastic. The route is south facing. Even there was a foot of snow on the ground, the climbing is warm and pleasant. Feb 4, 2017
If there are leaver biners or quick links on the upper pitches just leave them there for the next group to rap off. This route is used for multipitch SAR scenarios and it's nice not to have to leave links or non lockers every time it's used. Nov 29, 2017
Long Beach, CA
Tucson
Bellevue, WA
You can easily link P1-2 (even with a 60). Just bring some alpines, drag wasn't bad and climbing on P2 is so easy.
Radios strongly recommended, highway is loud and ledges block communication.
I'd recommend bringing shoes for the walk off. It's short (10-15 mins) but dirty. Scramble off the top is class 3 tops, but a bit exposed. Jan 4, 2021